Activision‘s latest first-person shooter has swept the globe, earning itself the anticipated “biggest entertainment launch ever” label. According to customer sell-through information and official details from Charttrack, the game sold more than 6.5 million units in its first 24 hours of release – more than $400 million – and that’s just in North America and the United Kingdom.

[img_big]center,7921,2011-11-08/3202Gas_Mask.jpg,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3[/img_big]

We believe the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we achieved this record with sales from only two territories. Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings,” two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.

…it’s also overtaken both Harry Potter and all entries in the Twilight saga, if you’d like a more recent touchstone.

Call of Duty is more than a game. It’s become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere. I would like to thank our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for making a brilliant game. But most of all, I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you.

With the game consistently coming in at #2 on the Steam charts, measuring PC digital downloads on that platform, we’re guessing a significant chunk of sales have been happening on console. There’s been no statements from Sony at this stage, but Microsoft has confirmed – after just two days of play – the launch of Modern Warfare 3 helped set a new peak concurrency record on Xbox LIVE, with a massive number of players online simultaneously.